LYNN – Mayor Jared C. Nicholson is running unopposed this fall for a second mayoral term.
When asked why he is running for a second mayoral term, Nicholson said, “I continue to believe strongly in our administration’s vision of inclusive growth of Lynn that includes all of us, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.”
Nicholson, a father of two sons, added, “I really want Lynn to be a place that prepares my boys to be able to go anywhere and also inspires them to love it here. That’s what motivates me to do this work.”
Nicholson said his greatest accomplishments in his first mayoral term regard education and housing.
“In the area of education, the top issue there has been overcrowding and the general need for facility improvements,” Nicholson said. “We’ve been able to add hundreds of classroom seats that create new opportunities for our students and also help relieve overcrowding – and (we’ve) done that without the major source of funding that exists for major school projects because we’ve done it on our own.
“Another top issue facing the City is the cost of living, and I’m proud that we were working with the council (and) able to implement a successful, inclusionary zoning policy that’s already created affordable units for Lynn residents – as well as an affordable housing trust fund that’s supporting the creation of hundreds of units at deeper levels of affordability.”
Nicholson added that some other accomplishments during his first mayoral term include the acquisition and opening of “a much-needed senior center.” He continued, “We’ve added several accessible playgrounds, new turf fields, an open space on the waterfront, and we’ve done it all (while) maintaining fiscal discipline.”
As far as his projected next term as mayor, Nicholson said his aforementioned achievements will continue to be a “top priority.” He added that moving forward, in the area of education, his mind is on the new Pickering Middle School.
“It’s incredibly important to stop overcrowding at the middle school level, and that’s about two years away from completion,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson is also looking forward to the execution of the South Harbor Implementation Plan.
“That was an effort coming out of Vision Lynn, the City’s first ever master plan that we did, and it would allow us to realize the huge opportunities that exist on the waterfront in a way that would create jobs, create housing, create open space, create destinations for our residents as well as much-needed tax revenue,” Nicholson said.
He also emphasized that “another goal I highlight is in response to what’s happening in Washington, to protect the gains that we’ve made and also to protect one another from instances of federal overreach.” Nicholson added that “continuing to grow our public safety team” is another priority of his, as well as continuing the necessary “infrastructure improvements” toward Lynn’s fire stations.
Nicholson pointed out that, as mayor, he will continue to “increase opportunities for workforce development” in fields with “high demand,” such as automotive, welding, and plumbing.
“I’m really thrilled about the prospect of serving another term and grateful for everyone’s support,” Nicholson said. “I particularly want to thank my campaign team who helped me qualify for the ballot – and honestly, I still plan to be out in the community, listening to voters like we have throughout my administration, and hearing their thoughts on issues that we’ll be working on together over the next four years.
“For folk who are interested, I have a more detailed list of priorities on the campaign’s website and would encourage folks to take a look at that and feel free to share their feedback as well.”
Nicholson’s campaign website can be found at jarednicholson.org.
The council races for Wards 2, 3, 4, and 6 are also unopposed races and will go to their respective incumbents: Ward 2 Councilor Obed A. Matul, Ward 3 Councilor Coco Alinsug, Ward 4 Councilor Natasha Megie-Maddrey, and Ward 6 Councilor Fred W. Hogan.
